Tag: Pakistan

  • US to send team to assess damage caused by floods in Pak

    US to send team to assess damage caused by floods in Pak

    The Central Command of the United States military will send a team to Pakistan which will assess the damages caused by the floods.

    According to a press release issued by Centcom Communication Director Colonel Joe Buccino on September 2, General Michael contacted Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa by telephone and offered condolences over the loss of lives in historic floods across the country.

    As per the statement, an assessment team will be travelling to Islamabad to assess what possible help the Department of Defence (DoD) may offer to USAID as part of the United States’ response to the flooding disaster in Pakistan.

    USAID announced earlier this week that the US will provide $30 million in humanitarian assistance to Pakistan to deal with damage caused by devastating floods.

    Heavy monsoon rains in the country have triggered massive floods that have submerged a third of the country and killed at least 1,208 people.

    Approximately 116 districts across the four provinces have been affected. Infrastructure, including bridges, roads, schools, homes and hospitals. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 888 health facilities have been inundated with flood water

  • Jemima Goldsmith set to donate earnings from private screening of Sajal’s next for Pakistani flood victims

    Jemima Goldsmith is auctioning a private screening of her upcoming movie  What’s Love Got To Do With It to collect donations for flood victims of Pakistan. The movie stars Sajal Aly and Shabana Azmi in key roles.

    “In aid of Pakistan’s flood victims, We are auctioning a private screening in London for up to 20 people of our film What’s Love Got To Do With It? See you there,” Jemima wrote in a tweet.

    “One lucky winner along with 20 friends will have a private screening of What’s Love Got To Do With It? written by Jemima Khan and directed by Shekar Kapur at Working Title Films, London. This exclusive opportunity, hosted by Jemima Khan and Fatima Bhutto, means that the winner can see What’s Love Got To Do With It? before its theatrical release. The winner can choose their guests and time and date, two weeks before the film’s release in January 2023, subject to the private theatre’s availability. Jemima will introduce the film and Fatima will join her to say hello to the auction winners. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

    The movie will be released on January 27.

  • ‘A bigger enemy of Pakistan than Imran has not been born’: PM Shehbaz

    ‘A bigger enemy of Pakistan than Imran has not been born’: PM Shehbaz

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif did not mince his words when talking about Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.

    “Thank God Pakistan was saved from default. Imran Khan wanted Pakistan to become Sri Lanka. Look at his real face,” said the PM on Thursday. He stated that after the crucial International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme restarted for Pakistan, the country was able to stand back on its feet.

    “I was sitting in a meeting when the minister of finance gave me the news [of the IMF bailout package], so I told him in front of everyone that Pakistan was saved from default,” he said.

    “But at least we were saved from a default which is what Imran Khan wanted. A man who gets letters written just so that the IMF programme could fail […] tell me, is there a worse way to show hatred with the country?”

    Shehbaz Sharif was referring to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Finance Minister Taimur Khan Jagra’s letter to the finance division, asserting that it had proven PTI chief’s intention to sabotage the country’s fate.

    Shehbaz went on to say that only thinks about himself and said, “Imran Khan kay sur par main sawar hon, aur uski apni main sawar hai tu Pakistan ka kya banay ga? [What will become of Pakistan if he only keeps thinking of himself?]”

    The premier further said that a bigger liar, cheater, deceiver and enemy of Pakistan than Imran Khan had never been born.

    The prime minister said that when he was in the opposition, Imran Khan conspired to send his members to jail, but they did not create a fuss. “Now everyone should look at Khan’s language.”

    PM Shehbaz said that the exemption for fuel adjustment charges (FAC) in August’s billing will apply to consumers who use under 300 units of electricity.

  • ‘Pakistan’s international debt should be immediately cancelled’: British MP

    ‘Pakistan’s international debt should be immediately cancelled’: British MP

    United Kingdom (UK) Member of Parliament (MP) Claudia Webbe has called on the international community to cancel Pakistan’s debt as the country’s inflation hits the highest level since 1973.

    In a statement on Twitter, Webbe said, “Inflation in Pakistan is at an all-time high at 27 per cent! Pakistan’s international debt should be immediately cancelled – they should instead be given reparations for the climate crisis caused.”

    According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), Pakistan’s Consumer Price Index-based inflation (CPI) climbed by 27.3 per cent on a year-over-year basis in August 2022.

    Prior to this statement, she repeatedly urged foreign countries to stand shoulder to shoulder in full solidarity with Pakistan and termed the silence from western countries a “moral crime”.

    “We need a global climate tax so that the global rich can be made to pay for the climate damage they cause in the world,” she said.

    She also blamed rich countries for the climate crisis and said that they should bear the cost, not Pakistan, as the country is responsible for 1 per cent of global emissions.

    On her official Twitter account, she also shared videos of the devasting floods in Pakistan.

    Water levels continued to rise on Friday as the overall death toll from the devastating floods has crossed 1,200.

    On Thursday, the UK announced an additional £15 million of lifesaving support for flood victims in Pakistan.

    More than 33 million people are affected — one in every seven Pakistanis — and reconstruction work will cost more than $10 billion.

    United Nations (UN) chief Antonio Guterres called the floods a “climate catastrophe” and launched an appeal for $160 million in emergency funding. Meanwhile, western countries have also donated millions of dollars to Pakistan.

  • The highly demanded feature Twitter is testing is out

    The highly demanded feature Twitter is testing is out

    Microblogging website Twitter said it is testing the edit button for a limited number of users. The feature will be initially available for paid users only.

    “If you see an edited Tweet, it’s because we’re testing the edit button,” the official Twitter account tweeted Thursday.

    “This is happening and you’ll be okay,” the tweet added

    https://twitter.com/Twitter/status/1565318587736285184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

    “Edit Tweet is a feature that lets people make changes to their Tweet after it’s been published. Think of it as a short period of time to do things like fix typos, add missed tags, and more,” said the company in a blog post.
    “For this test, Tweets will be able to be edited a few times in the 30 minutes following their publication. Edited Tweets will appear with an icon, timestamp, and label so it’s clear to readers that the original Tweet has been modified. Tapping the label will take viewers to the Tweet’s Edit History, which includes past versions of the Tweet.”
    “For context, the time limit and version history play an important role here. They help protect the integrity of the conversation and create a publicly accessible record of what was said,” the statement added.
    “Twitter Blue” subscribers will have access to the Edit button.

    Following the completion of initial internal testing, the Edit Tweet feature will be made available to a few Twitter Blue subscribers later this month.
    Earlier this year, Twitter announced that the company is working on the Edit button

  • Pakistan’s iconic ‘wow grape’ meme to be sold as NFT

    Pakistan’s iconic ‘wow grape’ meme to be sold as NFT

    The “wow grape” meme that won the hearts of many people across the world is due to be auctioned as a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) on September 30, 2022, on the digital art marketplace Foundation.

    When a YouTube channel posted a video of a celebration at a Pakistani school in Saudi Arabia, a school teacher, Sehar Kamran’s “wow grape” moment became meme material for netizens.

    Snippets from the video quickly went popular on the internet, becoming a frequent model for the creation of memes that inundated social media.

    The tagline “wow, great” was actually misunderstood as “wow grape” by internet users. Since then, the phrase “wow grape” has appeared regularly in texts, images, gifs, and videos on the internet.

    The auction will be held in partnership with the Sweden/Pakistan-based software business, Maqssoft, with Sehar Kamran’s permission.

    Reportedly, a percentage of the earnings from NFT sales will go toward the rehabilitation of flood victims in Pakistan.

  • Govt to conduct forensic audit of audio call between PTI leaders

    Govt to conduct forensic audit of audio call between PTI leaders

    Federal Law Minister, Azam Nazeer Tarar, has confirmed on Wednesday, (August 31) that the government will be conducting a forensic audit of two leaked audio calls between former Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, Punjab Finance Minister Mohsin Leghari and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Finance Minister Taimur Khan Jhagra.

    “Tarin did not obey his oath and attempted to prioritise politics over the state. This case falls under the category of rebellion against the state,” said Tarar, referring to the leaked audio call.

    Tarar also said that action will be taken according to the law once the forensic report is released.

    Read more: Leaked audio: PTI’s Shaukat Tarin allegedly advising finance ministers in Punjab, KP to sabotage IMF deal

    It is pertinent to mention here that on August 29, in a leaked audio, Tarin allegedly instructed Leghari and Jhagra in two separate calls, to write letters withdrawing from the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) deal. At the time, the federal government was in talks to finalize the terms of a $1.6 billion bailout package for the country from IMF.

    Read more: ‘Yeh ab tai hogaya hai Imran Khan Pakistan aur 22 crore logo se zyada eham hain’: Twitter reacts to leaked audio

    Tarin, while speaking on a political talk show on Express News, said that he wants to tell Pakistanis that now their WhatsApp calls are also being tapped.

    “It was a WhatsApp call. I am disappointed that a WhatsApp call was being recorded. We can take up this matter legally,” said Tarin.

    Read more: ‘WhatsApp calls are being tapped’: Shaukat Tarin

    However, it remains unclear who recorded and released the alleged audio recording.

  • Govt to waive fees, give scholarships for university students in flood-affected areas

    Govt to waive fees, give scholarships for university students in flood-affected areas

    Federal Minister for Education Rana Tanveer Hussain has said on Thursday that the government has decided to provide relief to university students in flood-affected areas by waiving their fees and giving them scholarships.

    In a tweet, he said that he held a meeting with the Chair Higher Education Commission (HEC) and decided to facilitate the university students in calamity-struck zones.

    Under the relief package, the government would defer current/due university fee payments, devise a mechanism/possibility for a fee waiver and announce a special scholarship program (undergraduate and graduation) for students.

    Tanveer stated that in these pressing times the government stands firm with the people and would do whatever it takes for rehabilitation of flood victims.

    “Doing fund-raising, providing food and tents, and setting up medical camps and transitional schools is our top priority,” he added.

    In another tweet, the federal minister said that “Our Government under the able leadership of Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif is fully committed to provide maximum relief to our people suffering from flood calamity. In these pressing times, we stand firm with our people and will do whatever it takes for rehabilitation.”

    Earlier today, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif announced that he will not be taking a scheduled official trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to focus on relief and rescue operations. Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also cancelled his scheduled visit in late August to four European countries. Separately, the media wing of the armed forces, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) also announced that Defense Day celebrations will be postponed to express solidarity with flood victims.

    Heavy monsoon rains in the country have triggered massive floods that have submerged a third of the country and killed at least 1,191 people. 27 more people died in the previous 24 hours on Thursday.

    Approximately 116 districts across the four provinces have been affected. Infrastructure, including bridges, roads, schools, homes and hospitals. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), 888 health facilities have been inundated with flood water.

  • Army postpones Defence Day ceremony in solidarity with flood victims

    Army postpones Defence Day ceremony in solidarity with flood victims

    The Pakistan Army on Wednesday (August 31) postponed the Defence Day ceremony — to demonstrate solidarity with flood-affected Pakistanis. The ceremony is held every year on September 6 at GHQ in Rawalpindi.

    The announcement was made by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General, Major General Babar Iftikhar, in a tweet from his twitter account.
    “In solidarity with the flood-affected people of Pakistan, central ceremony at GHQ to commemorate Defence & Martyrs Day on 6 September has been postponed,” he wrote.

    “Pakistan Armed Forces shall continue serving our brothers and sisters struck by unprecedented floods,” he added.

    Devastating floods have left Pakistan reeling, with the death toll now standing at 1,191. According to the data issued by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), 422 people have lost their lives in Sindh, 253 in Balochistan and 264 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

    It has been estimated that nearly one-third of the country is submerged in flood waters with more than 30 million people displaced from their homes. The raging waters have also wrecked havoc on the country’s infrastructure, with a number of roads, houses, schools and bridges damaged by the floods.

    The armed forces are engaged in rescue and relief operations along with provincial and federal administrations.

  • Govt may add 9,000 MW solar energy to national grid as an alternative power source

    Govt may add 9,000 MW solar energy to national grid as an alternative power source

    The federal government intends to prioritise the addition of 9,000 megawatts (MW) of solar energy to the national grid.

    According to Express Tribune,  the government may spend money on producing 6,000 MW of solar energy. A scheme to install 2,000 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) power on 11 kV feeders is also being considered. The government has chosen a number of locations in south Punjab for this purpose.

    By solarizing the public-sector buildings, the government will also add 1,000 MW of solar energy to the national grid.

    Through a single-stage, two-envelope bid process and a tariff indexation of 70 per cent every three months, the authorities will implement a straight-line tariff. In this regard, it aims to provide friendly nations with competitive tariffs.

    The government may acquire all the electricity produced on a 25-year BOOT (Build, Own, Operate, and Transfer) basis due to increased demand. It also intends to guarantee power off-take and offer the land for the projects.

    Additionally, the government intends to exempt all investors from import customs and other taxes, as well as from income tax on gains and profits for the first ten years.

    Incentives for the 4MW solar generation to be installed at 11kv feeders through a bid process may also be announced by the Ministry of Energy.

    In this context, the government can propose a straight-line tariff and a quarterly 50 per cent Pak CPI indexation with a 15 per cent maximum. Additionally, a bid/lease procedure will be used to install the solar rooftop system.